Aging Avatars:Finding Your “Me Later”

Last week’s question: Is the promise of longevity that – you really are the better older you that you always wanted to be?

This week: How different is your “Me Now” from your “Me Later”?

Ask your aging avatar, suggests Dan Pink in his newest book “To Sell Is Human”. How convenient of him, in the chapter on “clarity”, to help me by using “saving for your retirement” as an example of moving to a better decision by shifting perspective.

First let me say to Dan, in another shift of perspective, it’s about saving for your longevity NOT your retirement! OK, I’ve got that short rant out of the way! But his example is perfect, as this whole book is – in my whole new mind, probably his best; a fast read with an easy to apply approach to how we do the work of selling, influence, persuasion.

So, clarity. You know when a 12 child has been missing for 12 years, some wizard creates a digital enhancement of what their face might look like at 24? Well, in the books’ example the aging avatar – your “Me Now” face of 50 suddenly becomes your “Me Later” at 75. It might just be the thing that moves you from denial and beguile you to find that lost plan for “financing longevity”.

Yes it’s tax season. All those endless retirement savings investment commercials are driving us to distraction. Maybe they should save their ad money and just give us our aging avatar.